Calling Occupational Therapists interested in paediatrics!
Are you ready for your next step in your career?
Do you have valuable Occupational Therapy experience you want to share?
Do you wonder what it’s like to work for a Trust where the community is at the heart of everything we do?
Do you want to work in a multi-agency environment where your input is valued?
Do you have the experience to be pro-active in enhancing the service we provide?
Then maybe it’s time to join us at East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust.
We have one position, for a B5 (Paediatric Occupational Therapist) Development Role. We would however, offer this as a B6 (Specialist Occupational Therapist) position to a candidate with the right experience. If offered as a B5 position, we would expect the candidate to develop their skills to a B6 level within 12 to 24 months.
As a Trust we are flexible, we can offer part time and flexible working.
We offer:
Ongoing development and further training
The chance to shape the service we provide
A Trust where you are listened to
A CQC Trust rated outstanding
Opportunities to mentor colleagues
A range of benefits and services over and above normal NHS offers
Community Services are the future of the NHS, come and be part of it!
We look forward to welcoming you
NB) Interviews will be face to face.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if high numbers apply
Job Purpose:
The post holder works as part of the Community Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service. The post holder works autonomously with emphasis being placed on multi-disciplinary working and multi-agency collaboration under the supervision of more senior Occupational Therapist, they have specific responsibility for: -
Holding their own clinical caseload.
Clinical supervision and development of more junior staff
The post holder will carry out assessments and treatment and provide advice for children on their caseload in mainstream schools, special schools and other community settings.
They will attend multi-agency meetings and relevant discussions, including EHCP meetings and Tribunals if required. The post holder works with a more senior Occupational Therapist within designated special schools.
Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.
There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.
If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Patient contact:
The post holder will participate in regular supervision from a Paediatric Occupational Therapist of a higher grade but will be expected to work autonomously to:
Provide evidence-based assessment, treatment and/or advice to children (aged 0 - school leaving age), referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team in liaison with families and other professionals within a multi-agency framework. Children may present with life limiting, physical, multi-sensory disabilities and present with long term postural, functional and independence needs.
Have appropriate involvement in Education Health Care Plan process.
Manage a varied paediatric occupational therapy caseload involving assessment, diagnosis, treatment and advice for patients referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service on a daily basis. This includes provision of treatment plans for conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary / agency teams to provide a co-ordinated and integrated approach to patient care, e.g. health, social services, education, voluntary sector and families.
Provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals to promote understanding of the aims of Occupational Therapy and to ensure a consistent approach to the child’s care.
Work with and provide information to members of the multi-disciplinary team regarding the child’s functional ability in order to: -
a. reach a working diagnosis
b. enable subsequent management of relevant functional difficulties
c. deliver a comprehensive and co-ordinated treatment programme to each child. This is based on their clinical need and may include, where appropriate participation in case conferences, school reviews and discharge planning.
Use clinical judgement/reasoning for the assessment and recommendation, of specialist equipment e.g. postural seating and toileting equipment, from budgets such as education. To review and monitor the specialist equipment to ensure it meets the child’s changing needs. To report any issues affecting health and safety to the provider. This includes the training of children and staff in the safe use of the equipment.
Work with children and families to identify Occupational Therapy child centred SMART goals and to formulate and recommend the best course of intervention. These should address Occupational performance and skill deficits, enabling children to develop/improve in the areas of self-care, access to the National Curriculum, life skills, play and leisure activities.
Monitor, evaluate and modify individually tailored treatment (evidence based) in order to measure progress using outcome measures to ensure intervention is effective and complimentary to the child’s development, lifestyle and educational programme.
Assess child/carer understanding of treatment plans, gain informed consent and have the capacity to work within a legal framework with children and their families/carers who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Facilitate a child’s return to school following discharge from Hospitals (local and Regional) following acute admissions and surgery in liaison with relevant services including Hospital staff, Special Needs Community Nurse, Physiotherapist, Education Staff and Speech and Language Therapists.
Contribute to planned admissions to hospital in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the child’s care plan meets their needs and optimises the outcome of their stay.
Follow Trust procedures for incident reporting, and safeguarding asking for support from appropriate other personnel, in order to report the incident.
Provide assessment, treatment, and/or advice to children referred to the Paediatric Occupational Therapy team in liaison with families and other professionals within a multi-agency framework. Children may present with physical, learning, social/emotional and behavioural difficulties e.g. neuromuscular conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, developmental conditions, perceptual difficulties and genetic abnormalities, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Take, attend and participate in, as appropriat
o staff meetings
o peer review
o external courses
o in-service training
Manage and prioritise own workload balancing other clinical, non-clinical and professional demands. Often working under pressure and to tight deadlines. Will use supervision with a more senior Paediatric Occupational Therapist as needed.
Work alone in different environments including patient’s own homes, nurseries, and schools; following Bedfordshire and Luton Community Paediatric Occupational Therapy Lone Working Policy.
Refer on to other professionals / agencies as required.
Seek assistance from colleagues where further advice or support is sought with regard to patient care.
Decide on appropriate clinical and non-clinical tasks to be delegated e.g. to assistants, carers, admin staff, school staff
Professionally and legally be responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work.
Project work
To contribute to projects as required.
To participate in the Paediatric Occupational Therapy teams’ clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda.
To adhere to and apply the Professional Standards for Occupational Therapy Practice, Conduct and Ethics (RCOT Version 2/2021).
To participate in the implementation of changes to the service which may have an impact on other services e.g. OT referral criteria, as appropriate.
To have an understanding of national guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care and their impact on local service provision.
Communication
Communicate effectively and appropriately with patients, families, carers, the public and all members of the extended health services, social services and education teams. This involves using a range of verbal, non-verbal, written and presentation skills as required.
Use appropriate communication skills to overcome language and cultural diversity issues/barriers to effective communication which will regularly be evident, including: English as a second language, cognitive impairment, expressive and receptive communication difficulties, embarrassment, anxiety, pain, fear and visual/hearing impairment. To implement strategies to overcome these barriers.
Communicate condition related information to patients / relatives which can be of a sensitive or complex nature e.g., prognosis and rehabilitation prospects in chronic or life limiting conditions.
Use verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate effectively with children, young people and their families daily including those with complex needs, cognitive impairment, challenging behaviour or terminal illness etc. to gain consent, co-operation and to maximise potential.
Empathise with and support patients and their families in difficult or distressing circumstances, e.g. difficult diagnoses, bereavement and deteriorating conditions.
Represent and promote Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service.
Participate in working with various stakeholders, the co-production and service redesign teams to coordinate, develop, audit and review aspects of the service.
To contribute a written report to the Education Health and Care Plan for all children on case load requiring one.
To provide any additional written advice required for the Education Tribunal process.
To be able to answer questions within an Education Tribunal, to provide clarification and enable further discussion regarding Occupational Therapy recommendations as required.
Important Relationships:
- Countywide Paediatric Occupational Therapy Team
- Children and their families/carers
- Parent Carer Forums
- Co-production Team
- Multi-agency teams
- Education staff within special and mainstream school and pre-school settings
- Social Services staff
- Wheelchair Services
- Acute hospital
- Voluntary organisations e.g. REMAP
- Specialized Units/Hospitals e.g.
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children
Augmentative Communication Services
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
Second Skin
NB) This is an illustration of the important relationships and is not an exhaustive list.
To maintain up-to-date and accurate, comprehensive case notes (including treatment records) in line with professional standards, local trust policies and medico-legal criteria including what equipment has been issued.
To provide written and verbal reports on all children on caseload, at appropriate intervals, including following assessment and at the end of intervention.
